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New Community Center Now Open in Bend

Larkspur Center open with pool, fitness, Senior Center

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Bendites have a new place to work out indoors, with the opening of the long-awaited Larkspur Community Center: Home of the Bend Senior Center. Bend Park and Recreation District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 2, and the Center officially opened April 5. Larkspur, located in east Bend off 15th Street and Reed Market Road, once only housed the much-smaller Bend Senior Center.

Nicole Vulcan

Larkspur's state-of-the-art wheelchair lift in the pool area is the only one in North America, Center staff said.

Now, attached to the original facility is a 5,000-square-foot warm-water pool that features a current channel, hot tub and bubble benches, as well as a unique pool lift for those accessing the water in a wheelchair. The upstairs of the Center includes a walk/jog track, an 8,000-square-foot fitness center and several fitness rooms with maple-sprung floors. Due to COVID restrictions, the Bend Senior Center portion of the building is currently closed for social activities—though fitness classes remain open.

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Nicole Vulcan

The fitness center includes an indoor walking/jogging track, as well as fitness equipment users can sync with an app to track fitness data.

With the opening of Larkspur comes a temporary closure of the fitness rooms at Juniper Swim and Fitness Center in midtown Bend, where an indoor pool renovation project is currently underway. Juniper's indoor/outdoor 50-meter pool remains open. BPRD plans to reopen the other facilities at Juniper in mid-June.

Since COVID restrictions remain in place, BPRD recommends people make a reservation for classes and other activities at both facilities. Reservations can be booked up to 15 minutes before an activity takes place, with drop-in slots available by checking in with welcome desk staff.

Larkspur Community Center: Home of the Bend Senior Center
Open Mon-Fri 7am-8pm; Sat 8am-6pm; Hours subject to change
1600 SE Reed Market Road., Bend
541-388-1133
Reserve classes at bendparksandrec.org

Nicole Vulcan

A sculpture outside the Larkspur center, titled "Time," by Carol Gold, curated by Bend's Art in Public Places group.

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Nicole Vulcan has been editor of the Source since 2016. You can mostly find her raising chickens, walking dogs, riding all the bikes and attempting to turn a high desert scrap of land into a permaculture oasis.